Adil Najam
I have been forwarded a link to this video over a dozen times since yesterday. Like some of those who forwarded this to me, I do not find this video funny. And I certainly do not see any journalistic value in it. In fact, I find it rather disturbing, sometimes disgusting, and entirely disgraceful. I don’t really want you to see the video, but I do want us all – and especially our electronic media managers – to think real hard about what we are doing in our totally laissez-faire (the better phrase would be ‘mader, pidder, aazad’) attitude to what goes out as information, infotainment, and entertainment these days.
Note that the so-called “reporter” Shahid Hussain of Samaa TV tells us nothing about what the protest march is about or for. He finds that irrelevant and assumes everyone else will too. He accuses everyone of ogling and leering at the young nurses and is interested only in the fact that it is a march by young women. Why they march in protest, who they are, what their demands are – all of that matters not to him. I, for one, find all that relevant, but have no idea what this is about. Nor is there any condemnation of the ogling that he is supposedly ‘reporting’; only an expression of his own amusement and rather cheap and demeaning puns (‘nazaroun kay hifazati hisaar‘)!
Yet, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that it is the reporter Shahid Hussain and Samaa TV (through their cameras and narration) who are ogling indecently, misrepresenting and demeaning young working women in Pakistan and possibly also lying in what is supposed to be a “news” report (Do we have any evidence that the rickshaw actually got stuck because the driver was ogling? Did the policemen actually tell the reporter that this duty was good for tucking in their tummies and that they would like more such duty? Or is all of this just made up for by reporter’s wild imagination?)
I am not a prude. I think I can enjoy a good laugh and appreciate the pressures of live television with good humor. Nor would I ever think of advocating media clampdown or censorship (I was a working journalist during Zia-ul-Haq’s time when censorship was real as well as ugly; my commitment to a free media is absolute and unwavering). But I do know what is clearly not funny and what is disgusting. This is both.
This is not a call for clampdown or censorship; this is just a call for basic decency and reasonable taste. This is about the media making bad choices. Really bad choices. And making them again and again. These are not just ‘mistakes’. These are willful and deliberate attempts to sensationalize, trivialize, sexualize and dehmanize important issues.
With the case of Salman Taseer’s murder and the role of the media in fueling hatred so recent, would this not be the time for the media to think introspectively about what values they are promoting and what prejudice they are spreading? Some will no doubt accuse me to making too much of this. Maybe I am. But at a time when we have seen the destructive power of the media and of anchors to ruin lives, instigate frayed nerves, and spread venom in an already fractured society, it is the responsibility of the media to monitor itself.
The issue may be different as might be the stakes, but the dynamics of instigation, of misinformation, of legitimizing anti-social behavior and of dehumanization are exactly the same. And so is the damage to society as a whole. What are the values being promoting here: The disrespect of women? The trivialization of worker concerns? Raw chauvinism? Even if these are values already in society, is it the role of the media to trivialize, evangelize and celebrate them?
All those who habitually lie to themselves about how we have great respect for women in our society; well, this is the respect we have!
There is a great line in the movie Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The media in Pakistan today has assumed great power. I wish it would also learn to demonstrate some responsibility.
I appreciate that most of the comments are constructive (highlighting the shortcomings) and not suggesting anything that looks a revenge.
I love theatric performances, (Yeah!) they are very effective, BUT!
there is a thin line between fun and sending a wrong message.
A critic dose can be harsh at times depending on the level of the offense is fine to me if it is correctional and rehabilitating without causing too much humiliation.
Introspection, self reforming and then revisitation , you are the best!
This notion that journalists are just a ‘reflection’ of society is only partly correct. The media is partly that but has to be more than that. Majority of people in Pakistan who use internet and also in US spend lots of time viewing porn. Does that mean our media should start showing it? Lots of people use abusive language in their daily lives, everywhere. Does that mean that the media should use the same language? Part of being a mirror to society is to show what is wrong and right. If this same report had talked about how leering behavior is bad, said a single word against it, it may have been worthwhile. Right now its just leering itself. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Never understand why ATP attracts all these wannabes who want ATP to “do more” and miraculously these know-alls know exactly what it should do! Don’t like the blog, go make your own and do what you want with it! Lots of people obviously like what ATP is doing and that is why it works and can actually construct a real social conversation raise real money for real efforts and raise awareness all round. What more do people want from a blog for God’s sake!
This envy of other’s success is unbecoming.
humaira, i had addressed my remarks to adil himself but since you interjected, let me tell you it is not the first or the second time my write up hasn’t been posted. Not only that many of my comments have been deleted because they were critical of the blog or United States policies in Pakistan.
True, there may have been many posts on flood, but the floods are still wreaking havoc for lot of people. How many of the posts on floods were eyewitness accounts of one of the readers? Who has gone to remote areas to find out if the needs of the victims of floods are met? People are without food and blankets, sitting in the cold – temperatures barely above freezing- a few yards from their village because it is still under water. And how many accounts have been posted which show how eighteen year olds are changing the landscape of Pakistan?
Let’s look at the posts on the front page: Uncle Urfi: A PTV Blockbuster; Growing Up Pakistani in Peking, …; Three Poems for Troubled Times:… Faiz Centenary: Tina Sings Faiz. Again; Rickshaw ho tou aisa ho.
May be there is some life changing formulae in these posts, I find majority of the posts on this blog are of sentimental and feel good type where commentators feel nostalgic and rush to praise the autor. Some times it sounds more like a mutual admiration society than a serious blog.
@Viol-8-r
What amazing negativity.
I guess you Indians take great pride in reigning negative. I have never figured out why you Indians are so keen on dropping in uninvited to anything Pakistani with you negative dropping.
By the way, I assume from you last comment that you have brought great change and goodwill to the world. Congratulations!
ATP, can you please block such comments that serve no purpose except venting the frustrations of losers and wannabes who have done nothing themselves and want to give talqeen to anyone who is actually doing something!